Holiday Bowl Parade floats through downtown San Diego

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8/CNS) - The University of Minnesota plays Washington State University in the Holiday Bowl Tuesday afternoon. But first, the famous Holiday Bowl Parade made its way through downtown San Diego, stepping off at the Embarcadero.

It's officially known as the Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl parade and featured the marching bands from Washington State University and the University of Minnesota.

The County's Waterfront Park downtown adjacent to the County Administration Center is a prime vantage point, located at 1600 Pacific Highway, and officials urged viewers to arrive well before the 10 a.m. Parade start time.

The balloons, marching bands and more headed south along Harbor Drive on the park's bay side and finish at the corner of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway near Seaport Village. The Port of San Diego expected more than 100,000 visitors to line the parade route.

The Metropolitan Transit System said trolley service increased Tuesday in anticipation of large crowds at the Holiday Bowl Parade downtown and the Holiday Bowl game at Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley.

The frequency of Green Line Trolley service was increased to every seven minutes between Qualcomm Stadium and downtown from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to MTS officials. After the parade, additional service continued to operate until crowds diminish.

The nearest Trolley stations to the parade route include County Center/Little Italy, Santa Fe Depot and Seaport Village.

The National Funding Holiday Bowl kickoff is at 4 p.m. and MTS will increase the number of Green Line trains that provide direct service to Qualcomm Stadium beginning at 11:45 a.m., running trains every seven minutes.

After the game, Green Line service will operate at a high frequency in both directions until crowds subside.

To speed up boarding and avoid ticket vending machine lines, passengers can purchase and store their Trolley tickets on their smart phones for both the parade and the game by using the MTS mobile ticketing app mTicket.

As a bonus, mTicket holders can avoid boarding lines after the game by having exclusive access to an express line on the west side of the ramp that bypasses the general line.

In addition to one-way paper tickets and day passes on Compass Cards, MTS has printed a limited quantity of commemorative Trolley passes for both the parade and the game. The $6 commemorative day passes are sold at select ticket booths along the Green Line.